Disc one

1."Virus"
2."Sign of the Cross"
3."Man on the Edge"
4."Afraid to Shoot Strangers" (Live)
5."Be Quick or Be Dead"
6."Fear of the Dark" (Live)
7."Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter"
8."Holy Smoke"
9."The Clairvoyant"
10."Can I Play with Madness"
11."The Evil that Men Do"
12."Heaven Can Wait"
13."Wasted Years"

Disc two

1."Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (Live)
2."Running Free" (Live)
3."2 Minutes to Midnight"
4."Aces High"
5."Where Eagles Dare"
6."The Trooper"
7."The Number of the Beast"
8."Run to the Hills"
9."Hallowed Be Thy Name"
10."Wrathchild"
11."Phantom of the Opera"
12."Sanctuary"
13."Strange World"
14."Iron Maiden"

Best of the Beast was Iron Maiden's first "best of" album, released in 1996 in three formats: a 34 track (four disc) vinyl, a 27 track (two disc) CD and a 16 track (single disc) CD. The songlist is mainly Maiden's greatest hits (singles) and most well-known songs from 1980-1995 albums, but it also includes a new single (entitled Virus). A new version of "Afraid to Shoot Strangers" was also on this album. A Live video filmed during The X Factour (world tour to promote The X Factor album) - originally this song featured the band's previous vocalist Bruce ~censored~.

The two-CD version contained two songs from the band's 1979 demo tape The Soundhouse Tapes ("Iron Maiden" and "Strange World," of which the latter one was previously unreleased). The 4-disc vinyl version is nowadays quite rare and is now a collectable which has increased in value steadily on online auction sites. The standard edition's value has not changed much, and has been replaced by Edward the Great in most countries as a 'best of' for the band.

The cover art was by Derek Riggs, who designed most of Iron Maiden's album covers. It is an amalgimation of his most famous works with the band - it features Eddie from the Piece of Mind, Powerslave, Somewhere in Time and No Prayer for the Dying eras as well as "The Trooper", Live After Death and a redesign of the Killers album cover.